Vice Presidential candidates prepare for debate
White House coronavirus outbreak expected to take center stage - NBC's Jay Gray reports
SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. (KYMA, KECY) - The state is set for the first and only Vice Presidential Debate. The practice sessions are over, the final coronavirus tests taken, and the plexiglass shields are in place.
Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will be seated more than 12-feet apart, instead of the seven-foot distance originally planned. The distance is designed to add more protection from the virus.
Still unclear - whether this debate will descend to the levels witnessed when President Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off for the first time.
Washington insiders say the Vice President has one goal.
"Present the Republican agenda without Donald Trump's personality so he's going try to prosecute that case present the democrats of being too far left from the middle of the country." said former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, who's from Pence's home state of Indiana.
He'll also need to highlight the administration's work over the past four years. That's something Harris, a former prosecutor, is expected to focus on as well.
"I'm looking for rather than senator harris fact checking him every 30 secs but holding his feet to the fire for what he is responsible for and what his boss is responsible for." said Jonathan Capehart, a columnist for The Washington Post.
There will be no opening or closing statements for the debate. The topics will be separated into nine 10-minute discussions. Vice President Pence will get the first question.
A big question for those planning to tune in, is whether this showdown will dissolve into the shout-fest seen during the first Presidential Debate.
"Hopefully I'm sure it will be more civil."
Civil and safe is what most hope to see in Salt Lake Wednesday night.
250 will be spaced out in the audience. The hall normally seats 1,900. Everyone has to have a coronavirus test, and they must wear a mask. Anyone who refuses will be "escorted out" of the building.
You can watch the Vice Presidential Debate on News 11 and CBS 13 beginning at six Wednesday evening. It will also stream live on KYMA.com's Decision 2020 page.
